New Year's Eve Kiss
by elven trinity
Summary: This is a one-shot of Bella and Edward at a New Year's Eve party. It's an alternative to how the students of Forks High School find out about Bella and Edward's relationship. Happy New Year's everyone.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well obviously this is a New Year's Eve story about Edward and Bella. For the sake of this story Bella entered school in first semester instead of second semester. And while she and Edward have been getting closer as they did in the book, Bella's fellow classmates are still unaware of their relationship beyond them being lab partners.**

**I do not own Twilight. That belongs to Stephanie Meyers**.

_**New Year's Eve**_

Bella woke up when the sound of the telephone ringing sliced through her dream. She groaned as she rolled over and covered her head with her pillow. Charlie can answer it, she thought. The phone continued to ring when she remembered that Charlie had already left for work. Whoever was calling was extremely persistent forcing Bella to finally climb out of bed, walk downstairs, and answer the phone.

"Hello." She mumbled into the phone.

"Hey, Bells." Mike Newton's annoyingly perky voice greeted her. Bella sighed.

"What's up, Mike?" she asked politely.

"Well, I thought I'd remind you about the New Year's Eve party that I'm throwing together at my place. Everyone's gonna be there." Mike said. "I was wondering if you were coming."

"I've told you a million times already that I'm coming." Bella said. It was difficult but she succeeded in keeping the impatience she was feeling out of her voice.

"Oh, okay. That's great. I guess I'll see you then." Genuine excitement laced Mike's voice. Then as an afterthought he added, "Is Cullen coming?"

"Um….I really don't know." Bella answered truthfully. "I'm just his lab partner after all." Not that I wouldn't mind being more than just that, Bella thought to herself.

"I see." Mike said cautiously. "Have you invited him?"

"Um…well…"Bella said guiltily. "I did mention the party to him. Who knows whether he took it as an invitation or not."

"Got it." Mike said suddenly cheerful at the idea that Bella didn't outright invite Edward to his party. "Well if he shows up, we can just set him straight can't we?"

"Well there's nothing really to set straight. I mentioned it to him. He probably won't show but if he does it's not a big deal." Bella said. "It's not like it'll ruin your party."

"Okay." Mike said. Bella groaned to herself. She didn't need mind reading abilities to see the fantasies forming in Mike's mind. They all centered on Edward showing up to see Mike and Bella all over each other. Even though it would never happen Bella couldn't help getting angry at Mike.

"You know I'll just talk to you later. Okay, Mike?" Bella phrased it like it was a question but her tone implied that the conversation was definitely over.

"Okay. See you tonight, Bella," Mike said before hanging up.

Bella hung up the phone and sighed. She was not looking forward to this party at all. But she had already promised to go and she couldn't back out of it now. She walked up to her room and changed clothes and got ready for the day.

She did mention the party to Edward but she didn't think that he thought anything of it. In fact even though they were spending a lot of time together lately, not many people they went to school with knew the extent of their relationship. If relationship was the right word for it.

Bella wasn't quite sure how to define her and Edward. Yes they were lab partners, but they were also really good friends and they were getting so close after she found out he was a vampire. Of course there was that little thing about her being completely and hopelessly in love with him. He admitted feelings for her, very deep feelings, but he had yet to use the word love. He was still hanging on to the tiny hope/fear that her instinctual fear would kick in and she would run screaming out the door. Bella knew that would never happen. She was his and all he had to do was say the words and she would gladly stay with him forever.

When she finished getting ready she rushed downstairs. It was getting close to 10:00 and Edward was supposed to meet her. She loved Christmas vacation since it gave her a lot more time to spend with Edward. She was instantly greeted with a burst of cold wind as she stepped outside. That part of Christmas vacation she didn't love so much. Her mood instantly lit up when she saw Edward leaning against the door of his silver Volvo.

She smiled, grateful to the wind for blowing her hair into her face and concealing her blush. Not that it mattered whether or not he could see the color in her cheeks. Her heart was already racing at one glimpse of him. She loved this feeling that always came when he was around.

"Hey," she said when she finally reached him. "What did you have in mind for today?"

"Nothing to exciting," he said. He smiled and his teeth flashed brightly. "I was thinking we go to my house, listen to music, and just hang out."

"Sounds good to me," Bella answered. Of course, everything that involved Edward sounded good to Bella.

**AN HOUR LATER**

Most of the Cullen household was out doing their own thing, leaving Bella and Edward alone in Edward's room. They had spent the hour listening to music and talking about music, books, life, and anything and everything in between. Bella loved this time with Edward. It just felt so natural being with him.

"So, Edward," Bella started awkwardly. "Mike Newton is having a New Year's Eve party tonight."

"Yes, I think you mentioned it once," Edward said, already guessing where this was going. "I don't think that he would appreciate my presence though."

"Well that's too bad because I would really enjoy your presence." Bella said shyly. She quickly glanced at the floor and let a stack of CD's laying next to her feet occupy her attention. She felt Edward's cold, hard hand touch her cheek. It sent sparks shooting through her and she made the mistake of turning her head to look at him. Once she was looking him in the eyes she lost all rational thought.

"I would love to be with you too tonight, Bella." Edward said. Bella's heart soared.

"Really?" Bella asked weakly.

"Yes." Edward nodded.

"So will you come?" Bella asked. She knew it would make Mike mad and she felt guilty about that, but she didn't like the idea of not being with Edward.

Edward looked lost in thought for awhile before he answered, "Maybe."

"Just maybe?" Bella asked disappointed.

"That's all I can say right now." Edward said. "You should probably go get ready now."

"Okay." Bella said reluctantly.

"Bella, you mean everything to me," Edward said looking her in the eyes. His eyes smoldered like they contained a passion he could barely contain. "I would love to be with you tonight. I'll do everything I can to make that happen." Bella nodded. She felt a lot better.

Edward drove her home but he grabbed her hand as she was about to leave the car.

"If I were to go tonight," he said softly. "Would you dance with me?"

Bella's eyes went wide with shock. "Ed-Edward…I can't dance. Not even a little bit." Bella tried to explain just how dangerous her dancing skills were to those around her.

"I'm not scared." Edward laughed. "It takes a lot to break me."

Bella had to nod her head in agreement. "I guess that's true. Okay. I will dance with you if you come." Edward smiled and she walked away.

Bella was horrified with the idea of dancing but it would be worth it if it meant she would be in Edward's arms. She smiled brightly as she went upstairs to change for Mike's party. It was only 7:30 so she still had a little bit of time. She changed her clothes but she purposefully took more time than necessary. At 8:00 she got into her truck and drove to the Newton's house.

"Bella," Mike yelled when she came through the door.

"Hey, Mike." She answered. Bella looked around the room. A big screen TV was showing New Year's Eve parties from around the world while a stereo blasted music. Furniture had obviously been taken out of the large living room to make room for dancing. The dining room table in the adjacent room was covered in drinks and food for guests. Happy New Year's 2009 streamers were strung along the walls and also hung from all available hooks. On a table next to the stereo, there were party hats and sound makers available. It seemed like the Newton's had gone all out on this one.

Bella saw Angela and Ben near the food table talking and Jessica was dancing and trying to show off. Mike asked her to dance with him but Bella politely declined. She was not a very good dancer and plus everyone's definition of "dancing" was grinding. Bella was very uncomfortable about the idea of Mike grinding on her like that, or touching her in general really.

Bella decided to go hang out by the food and talk to Angela and Ben. They spent most of the night talking comfortably while more people packed into the living room to dance. Mike would occasionally come and try to talk Bella into dancing but eventually gave up. Bella looked up and saw Mike dancing with Jessica. She was relieved that Mike and Jessica were both occupied so she could really enjoy her evening.

After awhile Bella found that she was genuinely enjoying herself. She liked the music that was playing and she was having fun talking with Angela and Ben. But she still missed Edward. She was in the middle of a daydream when Jessica came running up to her.

"OH-MY-GOD!" Jessica squealed in her ear. Bella cringed as she waited for the ringing in her ear to stop. She glanced around to see what the excitement was and all she saw was Mike glaring at her before he stormed off. Bella's heart leaped into her throat as she scanned the room. That meant….

Edward didn't want to go to the party but he knew that it would make Bella happy if he were there. Plus he had a hard time turning down a chance at more time with her. He spent the last couple of hours in his room trying to listen to music, and then after that didn't work he went for a run. Running that quickly through the trees helped him clear his head.

He was definitely in love with Bella if he was willing to go to Mike Newton's party to make her happy. He groaned. Why did she have to have this effect on him? He loved her and yet he never told her. He told her how much she meant to him but he had never said those exact three words to her. He figured that she could read between the lines and that would keep him from embarrassing himself by spelling it out. He didn't deserve her, yet he hoped selfishly that she cared about him too.

In the end he ended up at Mike Newton's house. He stayed towards the wall trying to keep a low profile. He still wasn't sure if he really wanted to be here or not. The music blared but not enough to drown out the thoughts of everyone here tonight.

_I so think I'm gonna score tonight…_

_I wonder if he'd dance with me…._

_Crap, I spilled punch on my new blouse…_

_Wow, Bella, looks HOT tonight. I wonder if I can steal a New Year's kiss from her…_

Bella's name instantly caught Edward's attention. It didn't surprise him that the "voice" he picked up on was Mike Newton's. He let out a slight growl. Although Bella wasn't technically his, he still felt very protective of her. People around him must've heard his growl because suddenly their thoughts turned to him. People began to whisper as he searched the room for Bella.

He saw Jessica Stanley running to the dinning room. He figured Bella must be there; no way would she be on the dance floor. Mike strode up to him trying to look intimidating.

"Cullen, what are you doing here?" He shouted over the music. "This is an invitation only party."

"Ahh, geez, Mikey." Edward feigned a hurt look. "That kind of hurt my feelings that you don't consider me one of your fifty closest friends."

Mike's eyes bulged with rage. "Well I don't consider you a friend so you can GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Mike screamed. He looked like he was ready to start throwing punches. "No one wants you here."

"Wow, Mike, calm down," Bella said. She stood in between Edward and Mike. Her palms were lifted in a peaceful way as she tried to stop a fight from breaking out.

"Mike, I am really sorry," Bella explained. "I asked Edward to come here. I thought it would be fun if he hung out with us. I mean he is a friend of mine. I want him to be here." Edward smiled as he replayed Bella's word over and over again in his mind. _I want him to be here. ..I want him…_

"Well he's not a friend of mine," Mike growled. Jealousy lined his face. "I don't want him here."

"Well I think he should stay," Jessica suddenly spoke up. No one missed the way she was batting her eyelashes at Edward as she said it. Edward and Bella both cringed.

"I think so too." Angela added. "It's a party. The more the better."

"Angela's right." Ben said. He blushed when Angela smiled up at him approvingly.

Mike's muscles relaxed as he prepared to admit defeat. "Okay he can stay." He mumbled as he walked away into the crowd trying to get out of eyesight of Edward or Bella.

With the potential fight broken up everyone quickly forgot about the argument and went back to the party. Edward joined Bella in the dinning room as she continued talking to Angela and Ben. The four of them got along surprisingly well.

"Edward, would you like to dance," Jessica asked him. _Oh God he's so hot. It's almost midnight. If I can steal him away from Bella now then he's all mine for that kiss. Why would he want to be with a Plain Jane like Bella anyways?..._

"No, thank you, Jessica," Edward said trying very hard to keep his voice casual. Inside he was getting sick of having to see Jessica's fantasies of her and Edward. "I was just about to dance with Bella."

"What...I…Ed-"Bella stammered, her face turned tomato red as Jessica glared at her.

"Don't you remember promising me a dance?" Edward gave her that crooked smile that dazzled her every time.

"Oh, okay," Bella said defeated. She let Edward pull her towards the living room. Thank God it was a slow song. He put his hands around her waist and Bella gasped. She looked up in time to see him laughing softly at her. She wanted to stick her tongue out at him, but instead she put her hands on his broad shoulders.

People were watching them curiously. Not only was Edward Cullen at a party but he was dancing with the new girl. This was huge news. Tomorrow Jessica would call her and pump her for all the details.

The newswoman on the TV. announced the impending New Year and the audience in Time Square began counting down. " 10…9….8…7…6…5…"

"Every grab someone to kiss," someone yelled.

"4….3…2…1….Happy New Year…"

Edward looked intensely into Bella's eyes. He didn't know how much temptation he could handle but he didn't know how he could pass this opportunity up. Her soft pink lips looked so inviting that moment. He lightly grazed his hand across her cheekbone and her eyes fluttered shut.

Bella felt her heart race as he stared at her and she held her breath when he touched her. He was hesitating. Did that mean what she thought it meant?

Edward slowly moved closer. "Stay still." He whispered against her lips. The sweet smell of his breath stunned her, she couldn't move even if she wanted to. Finally, his cold lips pressed against hers. It was a light, chaste kiss at first. Then once he seemed satisfied that he had enough control for this, he leaned in again for a more prolonged kiss.

Bella stood up on her toes to get closer. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he pulled her closer to him. She deepened the kiss until his willpower ran out and he had to pull away from her.

Everyone was silent now, staring at them. Neither Edward nor Bella seemed to notice. They stared into each others eyes as their breathing slowed down. Somewhere the clamoring of a utensil falling from the hands of a shocked teenager onto the floor filled the room.

Edward stroked her cheek again. "I love you, Bella." He whispered.

Bella froze he had never said those three words before. She felt as if her entire soul had lifted out of her body and was flying to the moon. Edward mistook her sudden stiffness as unhappiness.

"I mean…I…I shouldn't have said that," Edward said.

"What? Why not?" Bella gasped. How could he make her so happy and then ruin it a second later.

"Well, if you're uncomfortable with my feelings we can just be friends. I understand, Bella. "He said.

Bella laughed as she finally understood why he was suddenly retracting his words. "No, Edward, I don't want to be just friends. I love you too." They both smiled as they held each other close.

"Happy New Year, Bella," Edward whispered to her as he leaned in to kiss her again. For Bella it was definitely going to be a Happy New Year.

As the shock wore off the party goers returned to their own festivities. Jessica was the only one that was still paying attention to the couple. She was DEFINITELY going to get some information out of Bella tomorrow she promised herself.

Edward and Bella continued to stay in each other's arms oblivious to everyone around them. They were in their own personal little bubble and they were in love.

**A/N: Well there it is. Please read and review. I would greatly appreciate constructive criticism to help with my writing. Happy New Years to everyone. Hope you all enjoyed the holidays. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**A/N: Hey everybody. This is a late New Year's story obviously. This sequel is dedicated to all my reviewers who requested another chapter. Also thank you to everyone who reviewed to the first chapter, it really made me happy! Sorry this sequel took so long. It's been about a year, but better late than never. **

The teenagers quickly went back to their party after the shock of Edward's impromptu kiss had worn off. Soon the noises of music, laughter, and talking had resumed full volume. Edward and Bella were still unaware of their surroundings as they gazed into each others eyes. Bella swore gazing into Edward's cobalt eyes had frozen her feet to the very spot she was standing. Edward was the first to break the spell.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" His velvet voice sent shivers down her spine. She didn't trust her voice so she merely nodded her willingness to leave the party. Bella knew she would go anywhere with him. Edward took her hand gently in his and led her out to her truck. No one noticed the couple's departure except Mike and Jessica.

The truck ride to Bella's house was silent. However, it wasn't a cold or awkward silence. It was the silence of two new lovers slowly adjusting to their newfound relationship. Bella allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of frantic butterflies in her stomach and the sound of her blood rushing through her veins. She knew that Edward would be able to hear her heart pounding and she briefly wondered if she had a similar effect on Edward.

Bella felt the car slowing and she realized that they had reached her house sooner than she hoped. Her face gave away her disappointment as Edward parked the truck in her driveway. They both sat back in their seats not wanting this to end yet.

"Edward…"Bella murmured. She savored the way his name rolled off her tongue.

"You should go inside, Bella." Edward whispered. Bella felt panic rising in her heart. Was she wrong about his feelings?

Edward seemed to recognize her panic. "Your father will start getting suspicious soon and come look outside. I don't know if you're ready to tell him you're dating a vampire yet."

Bella grinned. "Well maybe we can leave out the vampire part." She joked. "At least for now."

Edward rewarded her with a genuine smile. "So are we really dating?" Bella asked nervously.

"Yes, we are." Edward said. Then he appeared nervous. "That is…if you want to be in a relationship with me."

Bella didn't know what to say. How could Edward possibly think she WOULDN'T want to date him? Unsure what to say, Bella did the first thing that came to mind. She kissed him. The kiss not romantic or sweet, rather it was rough and hard and conveyed four months worth of suppressed emotions. Edward soon had to break the kiss, but the look in his eyes told Bella that he had not done so willingly.

Then, Edward was gone. Before Bella had a chance to blink, Edward was outside her passenger side door. He opened her door and helped her out of the truck.

"But…" Bella tried to protest, but Edward placed a finger to her lips.

"You need to go inside now, Bella." Edward explained. "I am going to go get my car, drive it back to my place, and then I'm going to come back here."

"But what about Charlie?"

"Trust me," Edward looked like he was about to laugh. "Charlie won't know I'm here."

Bella nodded and walked to her front door. She paused once to look back at Edward. It scared her how much she hated the idea of being parted from him, even for such a short time. Finally, Bella walked into her house and left Edward behind. She made small talk with Charlie then rushed upstairs to her bedroom. Bella sat down on her bed to wait for Edward, but impatience quickly overtook her and she began pacing around the room.

She almost had a heart attack when she heard a soft knock on her window. She turned and saw Edward entering her room through her bedroom window. Bella gasped and sank to her bed. So this is what he meant by 'Charlie wouldn't know he was here'.

"Bella," Edward murmured as he walked towards her. Bella's shock disappeared as Edward towered over her. He reached out a hand and gently caressed her cheek. Bella gasped at the unexpected coldness of it, but quickly adjusted.

"How long can you stay?" Bella asked when she found her voice again.

"As long as you want me to," he said. "Vampires don't exactly sleep at night."

"Wait…" Bella pushed him away as a thought occurred to her. "You mean you could stay the whole night?" Edward nodded. Bella found that she could not look Edward straight in the eyes for a moment. The idea of Edward spending the night with her both frightened and excited her. When Bella regained her composure she looked Edward straight in the eyes. Their silent communication was all that was needed for both to know that they were ready for this.

"I guess I better go get ready for bed." Bella said absentmindedly as she headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair. When she reentered her room she searched for her tank top and bottoms that she usually slept in. Bella grew frustrated when she couldn't find them in the drawer she usually kept them in. She turned and saw Edward standing next to her with her pajamas in hand.

"You put them in the third drawer instead of the second." He explained.

Bella's gaze alternated between Edward's face and the pajamas in his hand. The realization washed over her like a wave. "You watch me?"

"Yeah," Edward admitted. He shifted his eyes to the floor like he was suddenly ashamed of his actions.

"How often? How long? Why?" Bella stammered. There were so many questions running through her mind.

"I've been coming about every night for the past two months." Edward admitted. "You're beautiful and amazing. I guess I just can't pass up a chance to be near you." He paused. "I understand if you're angry with me, Bella. It's not exactly normal behavior."

Bella laughed and she only laughed harder when she saw the stunned look on Edward's face.

"I know I should be really creeped out by that, and maybe some rational part of my mind is, but I can't be mad at you." Bella said. "If anything, I'm flattered that you find me that beautiful."

"You are beautiful." Edward said as he pulled her into another kiss. When he let her go he turned his back so she could have some privacy to change. Bella dressed quickly. She was embarrassed to have so much flesh exposed in Edward's presence, even if Edward wasn't looking in her direction. She cleared her throat to get Edward's attention when she was done.

Edward flashed over to her bed and pulled the covers down so Bella could climb into bed. Bella slowly climbed into bed and smiled when Edward lovingly tucked the blankets in around her.

"Where are you going to lie?" Bella questioned when she realized that he wasn't going to crawl under the covers with her.

"Next to you," Edward said as he climbed onto the bed. He positioned himself next to Bella as he lay on top of the sheets. Even through the sheets Bella could feel how cold Edward's body was. He pulled her close to him, and while Bella knew she should be uncomfortable by the cold she felt oddly comforted. She felt safe in Edward's arms. Bella tried to stay awake to enjoy every minute of this night, but slowly she drifted into a peaceful sleep.

* * * *

Bella woke when the morning sunlight came through her window and landed on her face. She rolled over to escape the light and the soft skin of her cheek encountered something hard and frigid. Bella sprang to her hands and knees to see what was in her bed, but found that it was only Edward. He laughed at her and she glared back at him. He pulled her back down to lay beside him.

"Sorry." Edward said. "I don't mean to laugh."

"Well, you startled me that's all." Bella said as she nestled in beside Edward and savored the feeling of waking up next to him. "I'm not used to someone sharing my bed." Bella cringed as a thought occurred to her. "I hope you weren't bored staying up all by yourself."

"I wasn't bored." Edward assured Bella. "I used to sneak in here just to watch you sleep remember?"

"Oh yeah." Bella muttered as she blushed. "I'm just not used to knowing that you're watching me sleep." Bella really couldn't figure out why Edward would be fascinated with watching her sleep.

Suddenly Edward's body tensed. "What's wrong?" Bella demanded.

"Jessica's here." Edward said as he climbed gracefully out of her bed.

"What? Why?" Bella was still confused.

"She wants to grill you about last night." Edward replied as he opened her window.

"Wait. Don't leave me here to deal with her by myself." Bella pleaded.

"I can't let Jessica see me here." Edward said. "Don't worry I'll be right outside your window." He gently placed a chaste kiss on her lips and a second later he was gone. Bella heard the doorbell ring and her dad answer it. She couldn't hear what they were saying but she figured Jessica wasn't in the mood for small talk with Charlie today. Bella mentally braced herself as she heard Jessica Stanley's footsteps thunder up the stairs towards her room.

* * * *

Edward felt guilty for leaving Bella to face Jessica alone, but he knew this was for the best. There were probably enough rumors circulating around this small town without having to add Jessica finding him in Bella's bedroom wearing the same clothes he had worn the night before. He perched himself in a tree next to Bella's slightly opened window. He wanted to be close enough to hear what Bella had to say.

He could envision the look on Jessica's face as she walked into Bella's room and her thoughts were so loud they were almost deafening inside his head.

_I can't believe she stole MY man. She knew I had a thing for Edward. _

"Hey, Bella," Jessica said, her voice was filled with fake niceness.

"Hey, Jess. Why are you here so early?" Bella asked pretending she didn't already know the answer. "Did we have plans or something?"

"No, I just wanted to see how you were." Jess answered. "You kinda disappeared pretty quickly last night. We all missed you." _Well, Mike missed you. You probably snuck off to be a little slut with Edward. _Edward balled his fists when Jessica's thoughts entered his mind. It took all his willpower not to storm into Bella's bedroom.

"Oh…" Bella was stumbling for words. "I figured I should get home early. You know how Charlie tends to worry."

"So you came straight home?" Jessica asked. _Probably after a quickie with Edward in the woods somewhere._

"Yeah, you can ask Charlie if you don't believe me." Bella volunteered. Her confidence was coming back when she realized she had nothing to explain to Jessica.

"No, that's okay. I believe you. Why wouldn't I?" Jessica laughed. "But last night was pretty crazy huh? _Crazy like parallel dimension crazy._

"It kinda was." Bella said. "It shocked me too."

"Really?" Jessica sneered. "You mean you haven't been trying to get with Edward before last night." _Does she think I'm retarded or something? I just need to know how the little tramp got him. _

"Well I'll admit I had a crush on him but I honestly didn't think he liked me like that?" Bella said. The sincerity in her voice stunned Edward. How could she possibly believe he wouldn't like her?

_Yeah, right. You knew exactly what you were doing. _"I understand. But you knew I liked Edward." Jessica faked being hurt. "I thought we were friends, Bella."

"We are friends." Bella said. Edward felt a constricting pain in the area where his frozen heart lay. He didn't want Bella to feel guilty about loving him.

"Bella, friends don't go after guys they know their friends like." Jessica accused.

"I knew you liked him in the past but I thought you were over it. Besides you were flirting with Mike all night. I thought you had a crush on him now."

"Mike's okay but I still had my heart set on Edward." Jessica moaned. _ You intentionally did this to spite me. You were nobody, some loser new kid till I took you in and this is how you repay me?_

"You never said anything about still liking Edward. I'm not a mind reader, Jessica." Bella said. Edward surged with pride as he heard Bella speak with such confidence. "Besides, guys aren't like the passenger seat in a road trip. You can't call dibs. And you definitely can't call dibs on every cute guy in school."

"Excuse me." Jessica sneered. _Who the hell does this girl think she is?"_

"I'm sorry I ended up with Edward." Bella said although it sounded pretty clear that she wasn't sorry at all. "You can't hold it against me that he chose me and not you."

"Like hell I can't."

"Look, Jessica, you want to know how I got Edward." Bella taunted. "I actually talked to the guy. Amazing how that works. Plus I love him because he's a great guy. You just like the way he looks."

"Well that's all there really is to him." Jessica said. Edward shook his head. How could this human girl possibly be foolish enough to think he would ever choose HER over Bella?

"Actually there's a lot more too him that I guess you'll never find out." Bella said.

_And I bet you found out all there was to him last night. _ Edward was sickened as images of his naked body filled Jessica's mind. He had to give the girl credit though; she had a very vivid imagination.

"Is there anything else you need, Jessica?" Edward was eternally grateful to Bella for interrupting Jessica's disturbing thoughts.

"I guess not." Jessica admitted. "I guess I'd better go now."

Bella nodded. "Jessica, if it's possible I still would like to be your friend. I think you are actually a good person. I'm just not going to be your door mat."

_We'll see about that. _Jessica thought as she stormed out of Bella's room. Panic surged through Edward as he contemplated what Jessica meant about that. He tried to scan her brain to find out exactly what she was planning but all he found was incoherent angry rants. When Jessica ran into Charlie downstairs her mind suddenly locked onto a plan.

_Oh, no. Please, God no._ Edward silently prayed although he doubted God cared what vampires wanted. In his mind he could see the scene playing out like he was in the living room. Jessica told Charlie about the party and the kiss and then she casually implied more happened when she said Bella left with Edward.

_I'll kill him, w_as the single thought that replayed in Charlie's mind when Jessica insinuated that Edward and Bella had left Mike's to have more….quality alone time.

Once Jessica left, Charlie immediately stormed upstairs and confronted Bella about the accusations Jessica made. Bella admitted to the kiss but denied anything else. Charlie grilled her for a good fifteen minutes before finally giving up. He couldn't argue with the fact that she had come home shortly after midnight. Considering the drive from Mike Newton's house, there wasn't much time for anything else. Still, Charlie had his suspicions.

He ruled that Bella could not see Edward unless Edward came to the house. He wanted to get to know Edward before he allowed them to leave the house for their dates. Bella thought this was a fair idea, but then Charlie conveniently found excuses to go over to Billy's every night so Bella couldn't see Edward. She was grateful when night came so that Edward could quietly sneak through her window to be with her. She was not grateful for the fact that she could never seem to stay awake all night. It was frustrating to know she was sleeping away part of the precious time she had with Edward.

Four days after Mike's party was the first time Bella saw Edward without being at her house. School had resumed much to everyone's unhappiness. Bella, however, found she was grateful for the short Christmas breaks high school granted. The idea of more time at home with Charlie was more than she could stand. She knew lunch time would be the first time everyone in school saw her and Edward together since Mike's party. Her anxiety was almost palpable when she took her seat for her first class. Of course, her anxiety made the time fly by.

Before Bella knew it, it was time for lunch. She began her death walk to the cafeteria with her head held high. She had dealt with starting a relationship with a VAMPIRE; she could handle a lunch room full of teenagers she told herself. Her heart raced when she saw Edward. He was leaned against the wall of the cafeteria with his arms crossed and eyes closed. He looked like he was bored or had a headache, but Bella knew it was because all the voices he heard were sometimes overwhelming.

His eyes opened when he sensed her presence next to him. "You ready for this?" he asked as he offered her his hand.

Bella only nodded as she accepted his hand. She gripped Edward's hand as tightly as she could as they walked into the cafeteria together. Bella could hear that the room was buzzing with gossip. She picked out the words "new girl", "Bella" "Cullen" "party" and "kissed". Someone noticed they had entered and tapped the person next to them. Soon the whole room was silent. Bella was sure the whole room was staring at her and Edward. Their gazes shifted from their faces to the entwined hands and then back to their faces.

Bella took in a deep breath. They spotted Ben and Angela at a table at the other end of the cafeteria and they went to join them. Why did they have to take the table the farthest from the entrance? Bella cringed. Heads turned to watch them in the passage to the lunch table. She knew every girl there felt a girl like her didn't deserve to be with someone like Edward Cullen. Suddenly, Bella felt they were right. Edward nudged her side and smiled down at her. Just like that her confidence returned.

Bella and Edward took their seats with Ben and Angela. "Hey guys, how was your last couple days of break?" Angela asked trying to break the tension.

"Not bad." Bella murmured thankful to have a friend like Angela.

"Well that's great. Ben and I went to Port Angeles the other day to do some shopping, but we didn't get much."

"Yeah we pretty just went to kill some time and to get out of this place for a bit." Ben added.

Bella smiled. She knew what Angela and Ben were trying to do so she focused all her attention on their conversation to ignore the onlookers. Edward never let go of her hand.

Soon Bella found that she was genuinely enjoying the conversation. She didn't know if her peers were still scrutinizing her or not but it didn't matter. It was a small town and gossip was king. She could deal with whatever they threw at her as long as Edward stayed by her side.

**A/N: Well there it is. Hoped you guys liked it. As always, PLEASE REVIEW! **


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